Experimental Brain Edema

ABSTRACT

By the expansion of stalk of laminaria inserted into the right epidural space of the rabbit head, cerebral compression and edema were produced. The studies of the occurrence and changes of experimental brain edema have been observed by weighing the wet and dry brain tissue, and by calculating the percentage of water content and that of swelling, with rate of per cent water content to that of control group. The percentage of water content and swelling of cerebral gray and white matters in the compressed site showed higher values than those in control and in non-compressed groups. As compared with normal group, the rate of per cent water content of cerebral gray matter at the site of compression showed gradually increasing tendency as time elapsed by 12 hours, while that of white matter demonstrated a increase of it by 24 hours and decreased gradually thereafter. Cerebral edema induced by laminaria compression was more evident and severe in the white matter than in the gray. Oxygen and glucose that are utilized the brain are two of the most important substances and play very important roles in the brain to form high energy bond and nucleic acid. Authors have attempted to measure oxygen consumption in normal rabbit brain and diseased brain that are produced by the expansion of stalk of laminaria in the intracranial epidural space. The value of oxygen consumption of cerebral gray and white matters in the compressed hemispheres showed higher values than those in control group, and they revealed a tendency of rather rapid increases at early experimental stages, an of gradual decrease thereafter.